Barbara Hepworth: Sculpture for a Modern World. Tate Britain, London

Tate Britain is showing an Exhibition on renown sculptor artist Barbara Hepworth from 24th June to 25th October, 2015.

Barbara Hepworth was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire in 1903 and died in a fire at home in St Ives, Cornwall in 1975.  She had lived there for more than 30 years and become a leading figure in the colony of artists who lived and worked in St Ives.  Her work has become associated with the landscape and sea of Cornwall and is now held in many museums around the world. Her home and studio is now the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Scuplture Garden.  It is well worth visiting.

This exhibition explores her rise to international fame and collaboration with the painter Ben Nicholson.  They became lovers first and later married when she divorced her first husband, the sculptor John Skeaping. The exhibition includes early pieces of carving by Hepworth and other peers.  One of my favourites was two doves carved from stone.  The doves and the stone each complemented the other. You also see photos of Hepworth and Nicholson together in their home studio.  Pieces you see in the photos are on exhibit in the show. The show closes with a room set-up as the Reitveld Pavillion at the Kroller-Muller Museum in the Netherlands.

To see more permanent works on display in the UK, visit The Hepworth Wakefield, an art gallery set up in Barbara Hepworth's home town.

The Tate Britain exhibition is a real pleasure to visit and the works on display are exceptional.

Visitmuseums.com, art exhibitions contributing writer, David Onslow

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25 Facts about the Sistine Chapel

25 Facts about the Sistine Chapel

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is one of the most famous frescoes in the world and unsurprisingly it’s one of Rome’s most visited and valued historic sites. Set within the VaticanCity and Museums, the Sistine Chapel welcomes around 25,000 visitors a day who flock to see Michelangelo’s masterpiece and marvel at the feat of artistry. As cameras are banned, it’s one to make sure you don’t forget!

Here are 25 fascinating facts about the Sistine Chapel to peak your interest, test your trivia knowledge and to give you all the more reason to go and visit this stunning attraction.

1. The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who commissioned the chapel’s construction on the foundations of the original Capella Magna in 1477.
2. It was Pope Sixtus IV who invested money into building the chapel and some draw similarities between its new layout and that of the Temple of Solomon described in the Old Testament.
3. Before work started on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in 1508, it had been decorated with a fresco of a blue night sky with golden stars, painted by the Umbrian artist Piero Matteo d’Amelia.
4. When Michelangelo was commissioned to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, he wasn’t very pleased, as his main artistic profession was to sculpt. It was with much displeasure that he undertook the role.
5. Michelangelo hated painting the ceiling so much that in 1509 he even wrote a poem lamenting to his friend Giovanni da Pistoia how he’d “grown a goiter from this torture”, due to the physical strain of the work.
6. Although many believe Michelangelo painted the ceiling lying on his back, he actually constructed his own scaffolding, so that he could paint standing up for more precision and control.
7. The whole area of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel measures about 1/6 of a football field – that’s around 12,000 square feet.
8. Don’t be fooled into thinking the only works of art on show in the Sistine Chapel are those by Michelangelo. You can also see frescoes and works by Domenico Ghirlandaio, Pietro Perugino, Cosimo Roselli and Sandro Botticelli.
9. It took Michelangelo four years to finish the fresco and he left God until last, wanting to have refined his technique enough to depict him perfectly.
10. The God Michelangelo painted as an older man with flowing grey hair inspired centuries of Christian paintings to come, later turning it into the archetypal representation of all Godly figures around the world.
11. The Last Judgement wasn’t actually painted in the same time as the great ceiling fresco. In fact Michelangelo returned twenty-two years later, in 1536, to begin his masterpiece on the wall above the altar.
12. It’s hard to believe that Michelangelo completed the entire ceiling without being able to review his piece as a whole, since the scaffolding remained in place right until the very end. This means that the first time Michelangelo saw his work, was the time it was unveiled!
13. Although the ceiling and frescoes are near-perfect, there is one tiny part of the sky in the panel depicting Noah’s escape which is missing, due to an explosion at a gunpowder depot in 1797 that caused the plaster to fall off.
14. There have been many analyses of The Last Judgement and the allegories and representations within the paintings. Some believe The Creation of Adam draws many parallels to the anatomy of the human brain due to the way it has been painted with the stem, frontal lobe and artery – which is reasonable given Michelangelo’s expertise in human anatomy.
15. Other interpretations include Saint Bartholomew holding the skin of a self-portrait of Michelangelo himself…
16. Among the things that couldn’t be misinterpreted were the nudes painted in the frescoes. In 1564, the Council of Trent deemed the images inappropriate and Daniele da Volterra was ordered to cover them up by painting fig leaves, clothing and other items to hide their indecency.
17. However, some of the drapes were removed to reveal the original painting during the big restoration efforts of the 1980s-1990s.
18. Another recurring motif is the acorns which populate the frescoes. This is a nod by Michelangelo to the patronage of Pope Sixtus IV, whose family name was Rovere – meaning oak, in Italian.
19. The Sistine Chapel is now a historic building of such acclaim that over five million people come to visit a year – that’s equal to the population of Norway!
20. It’s not only visitors who pay homage to the Sistine Chapel. It’s also the Pope’s private chapel, guaranteeing a few extra visits.
21. Come election time for a new Pope, the College of Cardinals meets at the Sistine Chapel – as they have done since 1492 – to submit their votes under oath.
22. The process is so intense that there’s even a room nicknamed the Room of Tears to represent the emotion the lucky chosen candidate will feel after winning the election.
23. It’s not just photos that are banned during visiting times to protect the colours from fading. During election time the College of Cardinals also has to be scanned for bugs before entering. There are 115 security checks in total!
24. If you have exposed shoulders or are wearing items of clothing that ends above the knee, you will be refused entry or asked to cover up within the Sistine Chapel. Visitors to this site should respect the code of conduct and dress appropriately.
25. The most dangerous thing about tourists visiting the Sistine Chapel is the damage not visible to the naked eye. The sweat, carbon dioxide and skin flakes of the five thousand visitors a day pose a threat to the restoration of the masterpiece. The creation of a humidity and temperature control machine is underway.

The Sistine Chapel will forever be one of Rome’s most popular places to visit thanks to the sheer scale of the masterpiece and the feat of exceptional artistry. Thanks to its location within Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel will remain protected and upheld by Papal traditions and forever considered one of the most important religious destinations in the world.

Produced by Omnia Vatican & Rome

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The Tudors – Musee du Luxembourg, Paris, 18th March – 19th July, 2015

The Tudors – Musee duLuxembourg, Paris, 18^th March – 19^th July, 2015

          If you are intending to go to Paris this is an exhibition that is well worth a visit and is also located in one of the prettiest gardens in the city, in the sixth district; next to the Senat. The exhibition looks back at the history of this very important era in English history and the legends associated with many of its rulers, be they kings or queens. The art and craftsmanship will take your breath away.

The Tudors reigned over England throughout the 16^th century and became some of the most important and famous rulers in English history. The founder of the dynasty was Henry VII and his rule put an end to thirty years of civil war. More importantly his marriage to Elizabeth of Lancaster united the two fighting houses – the Yorks and the Lancasters – establishing peace throughout the realm. At the beginning of the exhibition there is a square panel, created between 1550-1600, symbolising this union with the association of red and white roses and a well-known portrait of an aged but wise King Henry VII painted by a Welsh art guild. Of course Henry VII was also famous for being the father of one of the most flamboyant kings in English history; namely Henry VIII. The exhibition includes many striking portraits of this lion king, including an early portrait painted by the illustrious Joos Van Cleve. There is even a full armour, dating back to 1520, which he would have worn for the many tournaments he attended in the early part of his reign. Staring at it one really gets the sense of the strength and size – both physical and symbolical – of this flamboyant ruler. There is a wealth of information made available not only from paintings and art work but coins and books as well – many beautiful sixteenth century original books and manuscript are on display, in amazing condition. History comes alive as we, for example, read about a treaty made in Westminster between Henry and the French king, Francis 1^st, for the restitution of Boulogne. Details of Henry’s personal life and his many wives feature prominently – in fact one of the first paintings we see in the room was painted in 1835 and depicts one of Henry’s more unfortunate wives, Anne Boleyn, depicted in opulent misery in the Tower. Not surprisingly we learn that this painting is one of the most famous and influential paintings of its time and inspired a generation of artists. The private and public lives of the Tudors become enmeshed in history, and we see how many events in these ruler’s lives had huge effects throughout the kingdom – Henry VIII breaking away from the Catholic Church so as to marry Anne Boleyn being one of the most significant.

Splendid portraits of Edward VI and Mary 1^st are on display and of course the iconic and brilliant queen, Elizabeth 1^st is explored in great detail. A whole room is set up for this infamous daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, who came to the throne in 1558 at the age of 25. During the long years of her reign the kingdom was not only restored to the church of England but it became a great maritime power and important literary centre. The paintings of this period in British history that are on view are amazing such as ‘The Armada portrait’ depicting a regal, passionate and stunning queen. One gets a real sense of history and of the glory of the Elizabethan era.

 Go and visit ‘The Tudors’ – it is a show you must not miss!

By Larissa Woolf, Arts Editor, VisitMuseums.com